Glittering Wishes
by lovelytunes
Summary: An alternate plot to the original 1950s animation feature.
1. Chapter 1

Scurrying to escape from the sight of the castlemen on horses who were chasing rapidly after them, Cinderella and her friends managed to hide behind the forest bushes away from their paths. Remaining as fearfully still as ever, they lay in wait until all were gone and vanished into the distance.

Once everything was perfectly clear and calm, Cinderella could finally breathe in relief. Jaq, Gus and the rest realised they were back to their old selves again, with the dull remnants of the pumpkin losing all the glitters of its once short-lived magnificent carriage.

Seeing everyone has returned to their former appearances, Cinderella could not help but apologise to them, "I'm sorry...I guess that I forgot about everything...even the time...but...it was a wonderful dream come true..." Her heart could not tell her enough that all she felt was true, even though it took a miracle to give her a chance...A dance she would never ever forget.

"Look, Cinderellie! Your slipper!"

"That slipper, Cinderellie!"

Jaq and Gus were shouting out loud for her to pick up that one last piece of an item which preserved the magic. Cinderella almost could not believe when they pointed it out to her...

"Oh, thank you...Thank you so much for everything..." Cinderella expressed with all her gratitude, even though she was not sure the reason why. Somehow, she knew her faith would find out...someday...Holding the glittering glass slipper dearly in her hands, Cinderella got up on her feet and the rest followed.

It was a dark aftermath midnight as they attempted to find their way back to the chateau, yet even with Major and Bruno taking the lead, they seemed to lose sense of the right direction.

Trying hard for another few steps forward, which appeared to be blocked by more thornbushes, Cinderella found herself disheartened and stopped pursuing.

"Oh, I'm sorry...for putting you all through this with me..." She apologised with sharp regret.

Jaq and Gus hopped up to Bruno's head and encouraged, "No, that's nothing...Cinderellie...It's a wonderful dream come true...Wonderful for all of us sure! Just tell where should we go from here..."

Cinderella stooped down and took them in her hands. Jaq and Gus then slid pleasurably into her glass slipper looking at their lovely guardian expectantly. It was in times like this that she began to feel hopeful once again, gathering strength and courage from all these dear little keepers of her kindness and compassion through the years...

They brought a tender smile to her face once more, and beholding their innocence she pulled herself together to stand back up on her own bare feet again...Then, lifting her eyes to the twinkling and sparkling stars above the forest cover, she decided and said resolutely, "I am not going back..."

"What?! What there?" Jaq and Gus exclaimed in wide-eyed marvel, wanting her to repeat with ultimate certainty.

She looked down at them, still with that radiant smile of bravery, "Will you join me...in not returning to the chateau...to my stepmother and stepsisters anymore?"

Jaq and Gus gasped in amazement, before Major and Bruno nudged Cinderella to show her a faint lighted structure from the far edges of the woods behind a very small cleared narrow trail through the trees...


	2. Chapter 2

That faint light seemed to be a guiding star, assuring and leading them towards it, until when they reached its source, Cinderella, still in her torn dress and accompanied by her furry friends, they came upon a quiet chateau, almost like the one they had lived with her stepmother, but only much more beautiful and grand. Cinderella was awed, but still quite wary as she was not sure if there was really not a single person inside the house.

"I can't believe this..." Cinderella uttered just a little above a whisper.

"What do you mean, Cinderellie?" Jaq urged.

"Yeah, what do you mean, Cinderellie?" Gus repeated as them four little mice hopped about on her shoulders.

Cinderella paused and glanced around as they could see that each window appeared to be dimly lit...She was uncertain, "I don't know, guys...Perhaps, we shouldn't intrude...There could be an owner and his family..."

Sprinkles of fairy dust fell upon them and the towering chateau, yet they could not see those lovely glitters visibly and were not aware of them the slightest bit...

"Y-Yikes!" Jaq cried all of a sudden and grasped tight onto Cinderella as a gust of wind blew and a piece of letter fell out and off the creaky mailbox by the gate where they all stood.

Cinderella and the rest were extremely curious. The little mail landed by Cinderella's feet and she bent over to pick it up. Jaq was still shaky from the fright, but Gus and the rest were more excited and eager to know what Cinderella would discover from it...

"Hmmm...It's alright, Jaq...We'll see what this is all about here," Cinderella lightly patted her dear mouse pal and tried to read the name of the letter recipient.

"To: Madam Elise Bliss..." Cinderella pronounced clearly, only to wonder about something long kept in her distant memories and then she gasped in surprise.

"What's that, Cinderellie?"

"You know her, Cinderellie?" Jaq, Gus and the other two fellow mice friends, Ben and Nac, kept asking and nagging Cinderella of what she suddenly remembered.

It was too unexpected that Cinderella found it hard to believe. Gripping firmly onto the letter, she sighed in doubt and turned to them all who was looking at her filled with anticipation. Cinderella then confessed, "She is my mother..."


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, I don't see why there isn't a possibility that the letter was addressed to someone who has the same name as my mother's..." Cinderella gave in after some deep thought and decided to place the letter back into the mailbox. Jaq, Gus and the rest were utterly crestfallen, for their hopes were extremely let up a minute ago.

Just as Cinderella did so for the sake of moral honesty, she gasped in surprise the moment she opened up the creaky and rusty metal mailbox...

"What's that shining star, Cinderellie?!" Jaq hopped right into the box and pointed out rather strong glimmers radiating from some fine object resting inside, so bright and shining against the darkness all around that all their other friends by the girl's side quickly came up close to behold the wonder.

Cinderella could not really decide whether to reach for it, hence Jaq whistled loud for Gus, Ben and Nac to lift the whole mysterious item up for her to look at it with clarity.

"Here you go, Cinderellie! What do you think of this?!" Jaq and the rest cheered for her to make some hopeful discovery.

Cinderella could not refrain herself from gasping in awe again, as they all moved with all their might to place the thing onto her open palms. "Oh my...I can't believe this..." She would not have expected an unexpected miracle of blessing as this...

The object was a sparkling diamond studded key...with the name of "Cinderella Bliss" meticulously engraved on it. Bruno and Major who were looking on were overly surprised.

"What does it say, Cinderellie?!" Jaq, Gus and the rest all nagged her on to tell them.

A tear or two fell from her eyes as she said touchingly, "Cinderella Bliss, that's my name..."

They all could gasp and shout in exhilaration by now, "Hurray! It's for our dear Cinderellie! Wonder! Wonder!"

Cinderella cautiously hushed them, but before she could ever succeed, more voices and cheers resounded from down the opening of the front door of the once quiet chateau home right behind them...

"Cinderellie! You're finally here!"

"How's the ball?!"

"Did you dance happily?!"

They were all Suzy and the rest of the female mice who helped out with the many tedious sewing work of Cinderella's mother's old gown for the girl to go to the ball earlier on, surprising Cinderella and the others immensely.

"Oh my...Suzy...Meg...Rin...How did you all manage to come to this place?" Cinderella opened up her palms for them to hop in, still could not fully believing what on earth was happening all of a sudden...

With a big wide smile, Suzy snapped her fingers and crossed her arms to answer, "Fairy Godmother just sent us here while you were on your way and have gone to the ball!"

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A/N: To Guest and Summer2016, thanks for your lovely comments!


	4. Chapter 4

"No, father, you don't understand...It's never been my thought to let just any eligible maiden in the kingdom to wear this glass slipper of hers...This one - it belongs to her and her alone...We don't need to try it on anyone else!" The Prince (Prince Charming) strongly urged his father, the King, when the latter suggested his way to seek out the girl in the gorgeous silvery gown who had fled from their palace since around midnight.

The King, clueless as he was as to why his defiant son would insist to object to his idea, seemed to be at a lost for words on what else to say, nudged his Grand Duke to his side and inquired in a whisper, "Do you get what is he trying to argue with me here?"

Wondering and trying to read the downcast Prince's expression and posture, the Grand Duke quietly cleared his throat and whispered back to the King's ear, "He's just disappointed and not agreeing for us to look for that elusive maiden on his behalf, your Majesty..."

The King's eyes widened in enlightenment and gasped, "Oh, so you meant to say he wants to do everything by himself...?"

The Grand Duke swallowed hard, after being heavily rebuked by the King back in his chamber suite a while ago, heart thumping wildly and worrying if he has really gotten the Prince's implication clear enough. Heaving a wordless prayer and face so pale, he nodded in submission to the King without daring to look him in the eye...

One...Two...Three...Four...Five seconds finally elapsed and the Grand Duke received a knee-jerking strong pat on the back by his Majesty. The whole suite of the Prince resounded with deafening applause by the King. The old man then cheered aloud and went up to his son saying, "Congratulations! Congratulations, dear! So at long last, you've found your one and only sweetheart! Papa is extremely overjoyed for you!"

The Prince's face instinctly lit up before his jovial father, "Really, father...I'm sorry if I have unintentionally embarrassed you in front of so many of your subjects..."

The King only laughed aloud and patted his precious son's arms (due to his height, he was not able to reach up to his shoulders), "Oh no, no, no...You brought a blessing to me...and the whole kingdom...Never be so hard up on yourself, dear!"

He could not be more grateful, "Thanks, father...Now, I'm really not regretting at all that you held the ball for me..."

Another round of hearty laugh and the King gave a playful wink at him, "Heaven knows...but now onto the point...There's just one condition I would ask of you, son..."

The Prince and the Grand Duke immediately paid serious attention as the King cleared his throat and declared before them, "As you know, your papa and your mama's anniversary will again be approaching very soon...Heartaches and loss...will fill my heart once again..."

They could sympathised with him...A heavy sigh and the King went on to say, "If you could just be so kind, my dear son...to make this year something different...as soon or as swiftly as you could..."

The King began to sob and tears very quickly trickled down his eyes...The Prince understood well enough who was meant to be the answer...

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NoSignalBlueScreen: Thanks for your review!

Summer2016: Thanks! Glad you like this story!


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning was the very first in a long time that Cinderella was able to awake naturally from her sleep way past dawn. She needed not to keep in mind the time on the clock and her blue feathered friends arrived just in time at the new chateau where she was able to spend the night in sweet peaceful slumber...

The very moment she opened her eyes, those dear little ones were already chirping their tender melodies to greet their lovely maiden. Cinderella was overjoyed and delighted to see them again, having thought that she would be missing them immensely for deciding not to return to her stepmother's home.

"Bluebell! Merrybell! You're here as well! How wonderful!" Cinderella immediately opened up her palms to welcome them in...They all cheered and sang excitedly to be reunited again...Interestingly, their song lovingly reminded of one she last sang with a certain person from the night before.

In a flash, Suzy and her girls have leapt out of the dresser's drawers and applauded for Cinderella's attention in the midst of their happy encounter.

"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" They all cried aloud, while Jaq and the other guys opened up the doors of the wardrobe right in front of her bed where Cinderella laid.

The girl almost could not believe what she saw, "Oh my...Why...this is...mine...? It's mine?" They revealed a remade pink and white gown with a big bow which was originally her mother's and meant for Cinderella to wear to the ball...It did not look the least bit that it had once been torn to pieces by her terrible stepsisters, as if it was brand new without a single hint of blemish...

"Hurry, Cinderellie...What are you waiting for?" Suzy declared and jumped onto her covers.

Cinderella gasped, "Oh...my...but...this is just so...unbelievable...How did you all ever manage to...? I never thought I would be able to see this ever again, feeling so sorry for my mother..."

Jaq also hopped up onto her bedside, "What's so impossible, Cinderellie? It has indeed recovered...So awesome...You have to like it all!"

Cinderella was so touched that she has to blink back tears, "Oh, how am I to imagine the huge amount of hard work you all must have put into throughout last night...And...and, this place...I guess I was too tired to have noticed..."

Jaq and Suzy climbed up onto her palms and assured, "You don't have to feel sorry!"

She was ever so grateful for them all to be her only real company while living as a servant back at that chateau. Petting them softly, she expressed, "Thank you so much, for everything you all have done for me."

They were touched as well, before Suzy rushed Cinderella to put on the beautiful gown for the day that they have sewn and stitched for her...

Then, the blaring clock tower sounded all the way from the castle, though its clear view at this new chateau was more obstructed by the trees all around.


	6. Chapter 6

"Attractive!" "Awesome!" "Astounding!" "Beautiful!" "Charming!" "Dashing!" "Elegant!" "Fabulous!" "Fantastic!" "Feminine!" "Gorgeous!"

Having put on her newly-done mother's pink dress, Cinderella giggled and hushed them, "Alright...alright...Thank you all dearest so very much...This dress you have sacrificed so much for me to wear it...I promise to give you all as much happiness as possible in return!"

"Hurray! Hurray!" Jaq, Gus, Suzy and all the rest cheered, leaping onto her palms and shoulders as they all looked at her lovely reflection in the full-length standing mirror.

Cinderella was overwhelmed with gratefulness and gladness, almost could not believe the moment they found themselves in...She cupped her face beholding herself, nearly about to shed a tear, "Oh, this is all so magical...Can you all tell me if this is real? Last night and now...how did we ever managed to get in here...This place feels almost like a make-believe heaven for me..."

Jaq looked up and poked the tip of his little hat against her finger, "Know what, Cinderellie...Nothing beats the touch of a sharp hat you've made with your own hands...You feel it, past and present...Now your past reality and dream have exchanged themselves, and this moment is where your past dream has turned into your present reality! Ya, exactly that!"

Cinderella was not expecting such an answer and began to ponder over what her little friend had just spoken..."Past...present...dream...reality..."

Suzy hopped over and lightly hit Jaq on the head, "Enough of that philosophy! It's always better to make things simple and clear...All I've gotta say is that, Cinderellie, just believe in what or everything that you have now, and your brave new self!"

Jaq shuddered and they saw the confusedly thoughtful face of their pretty Cinderellie...

"Cinderellie! Cinderellie!" They all noticed that Gus has already jumped ahead of them onto the wide window sill and gazing excitedly at the spectacular view outside and below.

Everyone started urging Cinderella to draw near to the sunlit window to see what was in store for them. It turned out that the whole place below was remarkably huge with a colourful garden that extended so far until it reached the edge of a big lake where pretty swans and adorable ducks and ducklings swam about on its still and clear blue waters. To a farther side of the garden, the ground became a teeming piece of farm where fruits and vegetables grew fresh while the opposite was a stable and area for more cute creatures such as Major, bunny rabbits and squirrels. The land surrounding their new chateau home was so breathtakingly wide that they could hardly spot any physical fence or other homes in the distance.

Cinderella and everyone gasped, "Oh my...are we actually allowed to live here...? I really can't compare this to the chateau where we were at before..."

"I would love to stay here!" Suzy exclaimed.

"Yeah, here...our new place forever!" The rest all shouted in unison.

Cinderella could feel tears in her eyes now, patting them all, "I know you all deserve this place...but I guess...there're first things first...We need to know more about here...so...let us read the letter together!"

"Awesome!"


	7. Chapter 7

"What does it say, Cinderellie?!" Jaq and everyone kept pressing Cinderella while they watched her reading intently the letter addressed to her mother by the desk before the wide window of her new bedroom. They all were brimming with curiosity and even a tad bit apprehensive as Cinderella's overly attentive expression turned solemn and cautious.

After a moment which seemed to never end, she finally set down the letter and all her little friends began to surround it like protective guards who found the hardest to understand those mysterious handwritten words.

Cinderella sighed and began, "Though I have not the faintest idea of how she looks like, it's from an aunt of mine who has long left the country and moved to another neighbouring kingdom...Madam Elene Chrétien is her name..."

Jaq and the rest were pleasantly surprised, "Wow! Interesting...like a story! That's awesome, Cinderellie!"

She smiled at their adorable innocence, "She then introduced herself as the only older sister of my mother, then revealed that she has no intention of returning to this land as her only daughter is due to be married into royalty very soon..."

They all rolled their eyes in awe and got so carried away by what Cinderella told. She then continued, "Before she mentioned of cordially inviting us to their royal engagement, Madam Elene wrote that she is giving up full ownership of this chateau estate and will pass this place on to my mother and her next-of-kin indefinitely..."

Jaq and everyone gasped in awe, for they were intelligent enough to understand a major part of what Cinderella said..."Will that be you, Cinderellie?!"

The girl looked out of their wide open French windows and thought for a brief silence...Jaq and the rest could tell she was reflecting wistfully over some heartfelt matters, as they gazed at their beloved guardian with concern...

Cinderella clapsed her hands, then bowed slightly and closed her eyes...They all looked questioningly at each other, guessing if she was into a moment of prayer...

When the deep quietness was over and Cinderella opened her eyes, she gave them all immense relief with her tender smile..."Sorry, I just want to miss my mother once again...She deserves this after I have long forgotten her like a shadow who disappeared without a word of goodbye for me..."

They all excitedly leapt closer to her side, "Do you still know how she looks like? Is she pretty like you are, Cinderellie? Did she sew well? Is she kind like you?"

The questions kept coming one after another, making Cinderella giggle with fondness..."Well, like I said it's hard to recover something when you're not fully aware of in the first place...Father told me that she was gone when I was only five years old...So it's going to be a challenge..."

Suzy then exclaimed in wonder, "Hey, we are going to have a lot of clues from this place, right?!"

"Yeah, definitely! Totally! Obvious!" There were countless possibilities and discoveries in store for them all.


	8. Chapter 8

Setting down his brushes and paint colours, the Prince was once again captivated by the sight of his beautiful first love in his latest creation. Coming into this palace gardens the first thing in the morning, he could not prevent himself from reminiscing over their first night spent here among the perfume summer roses after they danced and waltzed from marble floors to the evergreen grasses...He never believed in love at first sight, though that was really what happened between his own parents...And now, he fell...fast and freely into the wonders of her dazzling blue eyes...Despite her absence and out of sight at this very hour, he still felt that she had never left him...Her sweetest voice when they sang songs of love together at this very same spot by the swings decorated with pretty purple morning glory flowers just revisited his mind and heart all over again...Was these all a miracle of his years-dulled imaginations or a dawn of a perfect reality?

He asked himself again and again...He almost could not sleep the whole night, or morning rather, that all he did was to gaze at the fine glittering remnant of her presence...A unique one-of-a-kind lone glass slipper, as special as her very person...It kept glistening and shimmering with diamond-like dust that he could not take his eyes off it for too long. She must have come from a fairytale world - totally different from their kingdom...He knew not her name, yet he managed to paint her face like a real-life angel with his own hands - more beautiful than any of his other drawings and artwork from before. In a moment, a fluttering butterfly came close and rested on a spot of his painting - the edge of her silky smooth golden blonde hair, and it brought a heartfelt smile to his handsome face...

He whispered and counted to three before the butterfly flew away and up into the sky, offering him a glance of a pale half-arch rainbow that has just appeared against the vast blue heavens above...He felt his heart nearly skipped a bit...Casting a few strokes of the seven colours in the background of his painting of the charming girl, he then swiftly decided what he would do next to find her, picking up her priceless glass slipper to bring along with him.


	9. Chapter 9

Coming around with his horse, Starry, to the path where he was told his mysterious maiden was last seen by the castleguards and seemed to disappear into the dark, the Prince was consoled and intrigued by the sight of tiny sparkles when observed extremely closely among the dust on the ground. They glittered and shone like costly silver diamonds which immediately reminded him of the only item of hers she had left behind...He quickly took out the glass slipper from inside his prized velvet pouch and compared them...

True enough, based on his knowledge and wisdom acquired over the years as the only royal heir of the kingdom, he could be firm on the fact that those diamond pieces indeed originated from her glass slipper - they were completely identical in the intensity of the brightness though coming in various heart-shaped sizes...The half-arch rainbow in the sky deepened in their seven colours and stretched wider against the blue summer sky...The guiding butterfly fluttered further into a certain edge of the woods before him...To his surprise, he found more diamond glitters on the ground as he followed its route through the forest trees...like a trail of her footsteps assuring him stronger of her possible presence...

Back in the chateau which now belonged to Cinderella's mother and herself, Suzy and the rest of the girl mice were chatting excitedly and happily with Cinderella and everyone else of how they had seen the kind old fairy godmother appearing to them while they were so sad for her in the attic overhearing her sobs coming from the courtyard. They too thought that she might never make it to the ball but the good fairy lady comforted them later that she had seen and sent Cinderella off to meet with her handsome Prince Charming at the ball...At the same time afterwards, she took them to this new home of theirs and showed them around that Suzy and the girls were now the only ones most familiar with every corner and room of this magnificent chateau. Fairy Godmother even cleared out every trace of dirt, dust and cobweb in a flash with the wave of her magic wand that the whole place simply transformed from an age-old dwelling into a stately castle.

Cinderella listened to them with pleasure but wondered when they would ever get to meet up with Fairy Godmother again...When would she reappear to them once more?

"I'd really like to thank her...but there's also one very important thing I should do..." Cinderella spoke wistfully.

"What's that 'very important thing', Cinderellie?" They all questioned curiously.

Cinderella smiled fondly and then reached out to open one of the chest drawers. Taking it out, she said, "To return this most beautiful glass slipper to her!"

"Why?!"

"Whatever for?!"

"You should not do this..."

What followed sounded like a neverending commotion and disagreements echoing throughout the princess suite in which they were all gathered...


	10. Chapter 10

"No, you don't understand this, sweeties...I...I am still Cinderella afterall...A one night's dream is enough for a wishful girl...It's already past midnight - a time to go back to the day," Cinderella tried to explain to her little friends as they stared wistfully at her and the sparkling glass slipper held in her hands.

Jaq wanted to encourage her to dream again, "No, no, no, no...Cinderellie! Your glass slipper is still here...There is not the end of your dream yet!"

Suzy also butted in, "Yeah, that's right! Why would Fairy Godmother want you to keep this slipper then?!"

The rest of them also urged and cheered her on. Cinderella looked down at the only remnant of last night's magic, beginning to feel indecisive and sighed.

Suzy then leapt and climbed up onto her palm, "How does he look like, Cinderellie? Is he as beautiful as you are?"

Jaq shook his head, "It's not beautiful! Should be 'handsome', 'tall', 'dashing', 'charming', 'attractive'...those are the words for men like us!"

Seeing them bicker, Cinderella smiled again and giggled, "Still, I'm not certain how he feels...I guess it's just a daze of the moment..."

Suzy felt bad for her, "Oh, Cinderellie...I'm sure there is a way to be sure..."

Listening to them throughout this time, Gus then leapt over and exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, why don't we go find out? This...this...Prince of the Ball! Why not we go back?!"

Everyone's eyes widened at his astounding idea...and hope began bubbling up over how amazing Gus' thoughtfulness was...


End file.
